Refused planning permission? You may still have full appeal rights.
If your application was made before 1 April 2026, you keep the right to a full written appeal — a complete case to an independent Inspector — for six months from the decision date. After that, the right is gone.
No charge and no card. The Route Check reads your situation and tells you which route fits — including when that route is not an appeal.
What your options actually are
After a refusal there are three honest routes: appeal, re-apply, or accept the decision. Which one fits depends on your dates, your refusal reasons, and the council’s own position. The free Route Check reads your situation and tells you plainly — even when the answer is “don’t appeal.”
What an appeal statement costs
A planning consultant typically charges £2,000–£6,000 to write an appeal statement, and takes weeks. Buildwise writes a full professional appeal statement — the council’s own adopted policies cited by number, every refusal reason answered in turn — for £395, in a fraction of the time. You review and control every word before anything goes to the Planning Inspectorate. If a fresh application is the better route, Buildwise writes those documents too, from £95.
✓ Policy EN3
✓ Written reps
Not sure whether an appeal is your route?
Find out before you spend anything. The Route Check is free and takes about two minutes.
Why appeals are won on policy, not unfairness
Appeals are not decided on how unfair a refusal feels. They’re decided on planning policy. Most people who appeal alone write about the injustice, and the Inspector has to set that aside — the decision must be made against the council’s adopted policies and national policy. A case that isn’t argued in those terms isn’t really heard. That’s the gap Buildwise closes.
I’m Pete Catt, a Sussex-based architectural technician. I built Buildwise after my own scheme was refused, so I know exactly what this page has landed in the middle of. No appeal is a sure thing — I won’t pretend otherwise. What Buildwise does is make sure your case is put properly, in the language the decision has to be made in.
Questions people ask
Is the Route Check really free?
Yes — no charge, no card, and it will tell you honestly if an appeal is NOT the right move.
What exactly do I get for £395?
A full written-representations appeal statement (or, if your appeal is already in, your final-comments document), cited to your council’s adopted local plan and the NPPF, with one included revision.
My application was made after 1 April 2026 — can you help?
The new procedure takes a short form instead of a statement, so an appeal statement doesn’t apply — but a fresh, right-first-time application often beats appealing, and Buildwise writes those documents from £95.
Do I need my architect’s permission?
No — it’s your appeal. Many people involve their agent; either way you review and control every word.
Check your route — before the six months runs out
Free, about two minutes, and it will tell you honestly if an appeal is not the right move.
Buildwise is an AI assistance tool. Always verify all generated documents with a qualified professional before submission. The Route Check is free general guidance to help you choose a route — it is not legal advice, and it never predicts the outcome of an appeal. Always check the exact dates and requirements on your decision notice.